MMC.RN

GBW is generalized body weakness and DHN is dehydration.

I would love to find one of these, "easy," jobs as well. I work max security forensic psych admission. Our patients are acutely psychotic and some of the most dangerous in the state, especially since they are unmedicated or undermedicated and oftentimes non-compliant. Its either that or they have a personality disorder and are manipulative and staff-splitting or attention-seeking. Our patients have or potentially have a myriad of different issues. Tonight alone , I had 4 seclusions, I didn't even have enough rooms on the unit, a patient in 5 point restraints, 5 patients on suicide precautions which require extra charting, 4 patients who claimed to have, "medical issues," that needed additional assessment and 2 of these patients were hyperverbal and manic and 1 was somewhat disorganized and with psychotic features. We had an admission from the AM that needed for a paperwork finished, he was a surprise ED. I was the only nurse with 4 support staff. This is a typical shift. Plus I had administrative weekend paperwork that I didn't finish yesterday and end of the month things to finish as well. I was there all weekend as the only nurse on two double shifts and we were busy and short staffed all weekend. Yes, psych is SO easy. I would love to see nurses who work med-surg or some other specialty do my job. I can't even explain to someone what it's like. It can be overwhelming, there's no set protocol like there is for an IV insertion or other medical procedures and there is no right or wrong answer, it's up to the Nurse to make a judgment call, and it's not always the right one.

He had the pen in his room and we finally were able to get an order to monitor him on camera. We saw him take out the rocks and use them otherwise we never would've known.

I work in the same type of setting although I work in admissions and I tend to work with competency and assessment patients. Most of our patients come in to either be assessed to be sure they are competent to stand trial or if not they are sent back to us to be treated to competency.

I had a patient hide little rocks from the courtyard in a safety pen. He would cut himself and we would never be able to figure out where he got anything to do it with even after multiple room searches.

I work on a maximum security forensic psych admissions unit with approximately 20 patients. We will typically have 1 nurse (sometimes 2) and anywhere from 4-6 techs depending on acuity.

I work forensic psych in max security and at times I am the only nurse with 4-5 support staff and 20 or so patients.

Risperdal Benztropine Ativan Seroquel Zyprexa Forensic Psych RN

Yes, I'm not going to lie and say it was easy, but it wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I thought I had to always get things correct, but it is first and foremost a learning experience so take it as that. You may feel overwhelmed and out of your element and that is normal. My advice is to get the most out of it as you can. Every nurse has been through it and most are understanding. I personally love to teach especially if the student is willing to learn. Be open to new experiences, even if the specialty is not your favorite. There is something to be learned from every clinical. Good luck to you!

You could potentially take out her age, just say young female in her 20's or even just young female. In addition, state she had her g-tube placed in February, an exact date is unnecessary. I wouldn't necessarily say it would be easy to identify her, but better be safe than sorry! I agree with the PP, you are on the right track, but are missing a few interventions related to the g-tube. In addition, research ways to assist with clearing secretions. Sometimes care plan books do not encompass everything.

I work forensic psych in a mental health facility and I pick up extra hours at the state correctional facility. I like it, personally and I can't see myself doing anything else. I like the autonomy I have and I like the challenge of working with a challenging population. I also enjoy the unpredictability that comes with the territory. It's a different type of nursing for sure, but I knew fairly early on that med-surg and the, "typical," nursing job was not right for me. I am more than happy with my decision.

Thank you for the advice! Nope, we don't have 18 gauges on our unit, however I asked for them on a recent supply order. However, we don't have needles that you can change for injections, what you draw it up in is what you give it with. Usually it would be just myself and her along with 4-5 techs. She micromanages them as well, however as she is not as familiar with their job, which she really should be she's not as bad. Our unit manager and other clinical staff are there intermittently throughout the shift. Everyone sees it, at least I would hope, although no one does anything about it. Over the last week or so I have documented EVERYTHING, as have all of our other nurses. We are sick of covering for her. I most definitely am, especially after last week. She called administration one morning to let them know I wasn't on the unit in the nursing station at 0700. I was in the building, there was an admission coming in and all of the gates were closed so I had to make a detour which took an extra 10 minutes. Yes, I admit I was running a little later than usual, but had I not hit that unexpected snag I would've been more than on time. However, due to this I walked on the unit at 0701 (I checked my phone) and now that, "late," arrival is on my record. I was not the only one, "late," that day half of our unit was delayed. I called and explained the situation to admin and they told me we should prepare for that possibility which means getting to work almost 25-30 min early instead of just 15-20 before my scheduled shift now to get through security and plan for any unforeseen events! It just irks me that she can, "take a break," for an hour or more and do nothing most of the day and she won't allow a little leeway for something like that. I never call admin unless it's been 10 min or more. Sometimes there are security things or admissions coming that cause delays throughout the building. We don't get paid extra to come in 30 min early so if you're a few min late because of that so be it. Sorry, rant over!

Nope! Not going to risk my license. I worked way too hard to do ruin it with something so trivial. If another nurse wants to indulge, and isn't under the influence while practicing that is up to them and I won't judge!

I know you are in Canada, I am a forensic psych nurse in the States and this is what I do. Our unit has three different types of patients: assess for competency, treat to competency, and our NGRI or Not Guilty by Mental Disease or Defect. Our assessment patients stay for two weeks or so and we assess them to see if they are fit to stand trial. A lot of times we have malingerers who try to act like they have a mental illness. Fortunately, they're usually pretty easy to spot. Our treatment patients stay for up to a year. We medicate them , treat them, and teach them adjudicative terms so that they will be ready to stand trial. Lastly, our NGRIs who have been sentenced to our facility because they were convicted but not criminally responsible. Just because you have an NGRI doesn't mean you get to, "walk away." If the crime is serious enough, you will get sent to a locked psych facility. In the States, you can petition q6months to be conditionally released. This is based on behavior and treatment length as well as the nature of the crime. The person has to be considered stable and no longer a danger to others. To get an NGRI, at the moment you committed your crime you have to have an active mental illness and not understand the consequences of your actions. We tend to have a lot of individuals who committed homicide, however were actively psychotic and don't remember doing it. This doesn't mean that a person who has schizophrenia, was medicated and then murdered someone knowing what you were doing would get an NGRI. In this case, they would be held criminally responsible. We also have a lot of patients who have personality disorders such as antisocial and borderline at our facility for this. I think the topic you chose is broad. Perhaps condense it to should individuals with personality disorders or another mental illness be held responsible? It is a very controversial topic and there is a lot of research out there on it especially with personality disorders.

It is an interesting topic, but again like PP have said, it would be difficult to research and is way too broad. I am a psych nurse. I am dx with Bipolar II disorder, an eating disorder, and most recently PTSD. I know, I sound like a hot mess and it took me awhile to accept the fact that I do have issues and now I wouldn't have it any other way. Well, that's not exactly true but I've learned to live with my illnesses and am learning to accept myself for what I am. Anyway, my experiences are the reason I got into psych nursing. I feel like it's more helpful than a hindrance.

Yes, I was actually given an actively dying patient as an assignment once. I hated it, but it was a great learning experience in hindsight. Not necessarily skill-wise, but how to provide comfort and support to family/friends and even the patient. This family had been through a lot and didn't have a good understanding about the dying process and what to expect. They didn't want hospital staff to touch him and the patient was very uncomfortable. I got to provide education and did end-of-life care when they agreed to let me make him more comfortable. I was there when he passed, holding his hand as well as his wife's. It was an experience I will never forget, as difficult as it was. I even shed a few tears in private. I had another experience the week after. The patient was okay the day before. I got there the second day, got report, and when I walked in to say hello, I found that he had passed. He passed in less than 15 min between the time the other nurse had left him and me going in there.

Yes Yes There was an error on our Baxter rolls. A doctor discontinued a medication, the order was faxed but the rolls were already done and they weren't fixed by pharmacy so when they were sent up, the med was still on the roll. Wrong med I would say transcription Unsure

1. 1 2. WI 3. WI

1. Female age 25-35 2. Yes 3. Yes 4. 12 hour shifts 5. Possibly, depends on the person and area of nursing they work in. 6. Yes 7. Yes, I think it can depending on the person an area of nursing 8. Yes 9. NA 10. Yes I am a psych nurse and I work 2 16 hour shifts per week and an 8 hour shift, typically. I enjoy working longer shifts as it gives me more days off. It can make for a long brutal day, but I don't feel as if I am putting my patients safety at risk. If I were working ICU, I may feel differently and if I were older and had a family to take care of I may feel differently again. I can go home after a shift and fall asleep and get a good 7-8 hours usually before I have to do anything. I am also prepared to work these shifts. I feel perfectly capable of making decisions and am just as efficient in the morning as I am at hour 15 or 16. I am working on my MSN, so it is helpful in scheduling classes and studying. I think when you talk about working mandatory overtime then there may be issues with patient safety. If I work an 8 hour PM shift and then get forced to work nights, which I am not used to, yes I feel as I put patients at risk. I am not prepared to do this and am tired, especially not being able to sleep when I am used to. I've had to do this many times and it never gets easier. I have felt very unsafe being so tired.

If it is something like that, I may say something directly? I guess it would depend on the situation. If it went right into the sharps container I guess I wouldn't make a big deal of it. If it is left exposed on a counter or surface for others to potentially stick themselves then I would say something directly as it is a safety issue. It should be addressed immediately and you shouldn't wait for management to intervene.

What NCLEX prep materials are you using? If you've been using ATI throughout your nursing education, you most likely have taken some assessments. Look back at those and focus on weak points. Also look at what you did poorly on this time you took the ATI predictor and focus on that. Don't focus on what you DO know, focus on weak areas. I would also suggest going through NCLEX questions, sometimes it is a matter of how you are approaching and looking at questions. Good Luck!

I can't say that I've ever seen this, but personally I would never do it! It is not only a conflict of interest, but a HIPAA violation, seeing as you are not in fact, that patient's nurse. I don't ever get involved in family/friends care of any kind. If they began to code in front of me, obviously I would begin CPR, but otherwise nope! I am there as a visitor/family/friend not as a nurse.

Oh dear, I have so many.... Where to even start? (FYI I work in forensic psych with an all male population) Some of my recent favorites... A patient was at the med window receiving meds and all of a sudden stated, " Look at them *itch *ss deer," in reference to the wildlife that often roams the grounds. I thought he was talking to me as did the tech... Next was another patient who stated, "Spank me hot nurse spank me. Give it to me." This was side in a very high pitched tone of voice. He then proceeded to drop his pants and flipped on his bed spread eagle and said, "I'm ready baby." All I needed was him to slightly pull down his pants so I could give him his monthly IM injection. He took it one step further. Note that this would be very inappropriate for most PMs but this particular pt is VERY ill and unlikely to improve further. Next was a patient who was observed staring at my chest as he came for his meds. He was redirected and he looked me straight in the eye and said, "well it's not that I find you in any way attractive it's that I just really like your boobs and want them for myself." If you can't tell he is questioning his sexuality. I was also recently called a Yankee Communist...

Yup! I'm always out on time, well almost always unless I don't finish paperwork or charting that can't wait or end up talking to the oncoming RN about something. Rarely, we get an admission late in the shift. I hate leaving things for the next RN so I stay and finish things up. Usually this is only during the transition from AM to PM. I am almost always out on time when I work PMs, unless some crisis occurs before shift change or I get forced to the night shift.

Relax and don't be so hard on yourself. Anyone who passes meds on a regular basis who hasn't made a med error is either new or lying. It happens. It doesn't excuse it, but the good thing is that the patient wasn't adversely effected and that you owned up to it. My advice is to learn from it and move on. I guarantee you won't let it happen again. You're new and still learning so give yourself some credit and don't let this shake you. You got this! FYI: If you feel that you haven't been trained adequately speak up and ask for more.